The thirteenth chapter of Paul's letter to
the Romans is the classic passage used by Christians to justify the
existence of the State. The famous language "The powers that be are
ordained of God" is found in that
chapter.

In his three-volume Systematic Theology, well-respected Calvinist
theologian Charles Hodge asserts, "The whole theory of civil government and
the duty of citizens to their rulers, are comprehensively stated by the Apostle
in Romans xiii.1-5" (III:357).

This web page takes a position contrary to most everything
stated by Hodge and most Christians.

First, the Bible has much more to say about
the State than is found in Romans 13. One must also consult Revelation
13, Isaiah 13, and the books of the Kings, as well as the scathing
denunciations of the State by the Old Testament prophets. Read through every
verse in the Bible and ask yourself, "Is this where God commanded human
beings to form 'the State?'" Your
answer will always be "No."

Second, what Romans 13 says about the State is hardly
flattering, when understood correctly. What exactly does Paul mean by
"the powers?" (See Ephesians
6:12) We believe Romans 13 has a negative, rather than positive
assessment of the State. "Ordained" simply means
"predestined." A tyrannical, murderous dictator is "the minister
of God." because he "serves"
God's purposes. God predestines all things, even
evil.

Third, we agree with most Christians that this passage
encourages "submission" to the State, but not
"patriotic" submission; rather the submission that Paul had just
finished teaching in Romans 12:

Be not overcome of evil, but
overcome evil with good. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather
give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay,
saith the Lord. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
Romans 12:21, 19, 14

Just because we do not take up arms against evil-doers does
not mean that evil-doers somehow have God's divine approval. This is the
teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: "Resist
not evil" (Matthew 5:39).

This third point is important, and it contains great irony.

Those who believe Romans 13 teaches patriotic support of
the State also believe that we have the right to overthrow it -- with
violence if necessary -- when it becomes excessively evil by departing
from God's Law.

Believing the State to be evil, we
oppose patriotism, but as followers of Christ, Christian anarchists
do not take the path of violent revolution against it (1 Peter 2:21). We
denounce even the American Revolution
(1776). Vine & Fig Tree advocates
pacifism.

It should be easy enough to remember the three neglected themes
of Romans 12-13:

Powers - Demonic

Predestination - Total

Pacifism - not Patriotism

With that introduction to Romans 13, let's consider the
frequently asked questions above.

Vine & Fig Tree advocates
the implementation of Micah's Vine & Fig Tree prophecy
(Micah 4:1-7). If you're not
familiar with this prophecy, please read
it here. Christians should be working toward beating "swords into
plowshares." The traditional interpretation of Romans 13 has resulted in
millions of Christians standing idle in the face of horrifying evil, or even
waving banners to support it, or even worse, putting on one of the State's
uniforms to help carry it out.

As we enter the 21st century, we look back
on the most barbaric, lawless, and violent century in human history.
How ironic that most Americans think of this century as a period of
"progress" and "prosperity." Four decades ago in
America, about 10,000 people were murdered in the
span of a single year. These murders were "against the law."

Overall in the 20th century,
"organized governments" have ordered or legalized the murder
of 10,000 people each
and every day.

"The State" turns out to be a far
greater criminal than all the criminals it claims to protect us from.

And the global "New World Order" -- the epitome of the
State -- is contemplating the murder of 15,000
people per hour until the luxurious living
standards of the global elite are secure.

But don't blame the elite. 10,000 murders require 10,000
working-class people willing to don the uniform of the Empire and kill
another human being in the interests of patriotism. This means 10,000
people who have lost touch with Christian morality. The 20th century
has seen America transformed from a nation where "religion,
morality and knowledge" were taught in every school, to a
nation that twice elected Bill Clinton.

In 1994
"criminals"
committed 7,885 bank robberies, taking $28
million. That same year, "government
agencies" seized $2.1
Billion in "asset
forfeiture proceedings," often without "probable
cause," and often not returned when innocence was proven. Theft
by any other name . . . would be called "taxation."

The greatest criminal on earth is "the
State."
No greater indictment can be made
against modern Christian moral discernment
than the failure to question the legitimacy of "the State."

The masses have learned a subtle lesson from the teachers of
the traditional interpretation of Romans 13. The message of Romans 12 and the
Sermon on the Mount -- love your enemies, leave vengeance to God -- is said to
apply only in our "private"
lives. But as public officials, we must be "practical,"
"realistic," (or, as Christians might put it) "Godly" men of
"dominion." We must kill our enemies and take vengeance on a massive
scale through the State. Nobody wants to be "unrealistic,"
"impractical," or "idealistic."

We all know that "public" is more important than
"private." That's "the real world." And so the violent
techniques of the State inexorably become imported into our "private"
lives; husbands can abuse, employees can be cheated, and forgiveness and love of
enemy are lost in the gossamer bedtime stories of women and children.

Eight hundred years ago, Western Civilization believed without question in
"the divine
right of kings." Anyone carrying around a copy of the U.S. Constitution
as a model of government and suggesting that an orderly society could survive
without a king would have been mocked -- or executed. Ideas we take for granted
today -- like "consent
of the governed" -- would have shocked the conscience of our medieval
forebears.

In a few generations, a consistent "free market" approach to civil
government will be the norm. People will shake their heads when they consider
the 20th century State and the support it received from Christians in America --
a society that permitted the confiscation of nearly 50% of everyone's income by
organized governments which murdered hundreds of millions of people.

The archist
wants to be as god, dominating and controlling others. The follower of Christ
wants to be the servant of others. When people
hear the word "anarchy," they never think of
a situation in which all bureaucrats and tyrants have been replaced with Christ-like
servants. When people think of "anarchy" what they
really think of is "polyarchy"
or "multi-archy," with every individual trying to be
on top, everyone striving to be his own god, no one willing to lose his life for
others.

This shows that "anarchy"
is really an impossibility. Forget what you may have heard about "the
one and the many." It is a false philosophical construct. Any society which
does not acknowledge Christ as the True and Only Archist inevitably succumbs to
polyarchy. Even a centralized or monarchical Caesar requires an army of
"little Caesars" in the military and the bureaucracies. It is
important for Christians to be servants of the true King, and not archists
over others.

Romans 13 does not
contradict this goal. Romans 13 does not say that "archists"
have a moral right to ignore Jesus' command. All men are commanded to be
servants, not archists.
Romans 13 in its context (Romans
12) tells us we are not to overcome archists by becoming like
archists; we are not to render evil for evil. We are to be servants. We are to
submit to evil in faith, like Job did. Job was attacked by that great archist,
Satan. But Satan was "ordained by God" to attack Job (Job
2:6).

This is probably the toughest issue to come to grips with. All
evil is predestined by God. Adolph Hitler did not bear the sword in vain.
Saddam Hussein does not bear biological weapons in vain. Osama bin Laden does
not bear suitcase-sized nuclear devices in vain. This is what Romans 13 actually
teaches.

But that does not mean that we are off the hook, or that God is
the "author of sin" (James
1:13-17). To understand Romans 13, we must develop the heart of a servant,
and see God's sovereignty over evil.

If you consider yourself a Calvinist, and
are comfortable with the idea of God's sovereignty and predestination of all
things, including human beings, please continue reading.

If you do not believe in predestination,
you will not understand what the Apostle means when he says the powers are
"ordained" by God. Please begin your study of
this issue by praying for
understanding. After completing this Scriptural survey of the powers,
please take a new look at the
doctrine of Predestination.

Both Calvinists and non-Calvinists should be open to a "Paradigm
Shift."

Romans 13 speaks of the State as (or in conjunction with)
"the powers." This is a reference to evil
angelic beings. Most Christians have given very little thought to what the
Bible says about angels (good and bad). "Angels" has become another
lucrative fad for Hallmark and the New Age movement. Most Americans hold a view
of the world which bears a striking resemblance to the ancient religion of
Baalism. Are you a
Baalist? No point in reading any further if you are.

Here are some pages which explore God's
sovereignty over evil, the work of angelic beings in the Providence of God, and
the necessity of abolishing evil in the world, especially the State. These are
the lost themes of Romans 13.

We recommend reading them in the order below. The first three
pages are foundational. The second page is critical to understanding Romans 13,
and the reader is urged to spend some time perusing the rest of the pages on
that site ("TOTAL Predestination"), particularly the pages on "Baalism"
and "Radical
Calvinism." The third page helps us cultivate the heart of a servant
and Christian non-archist.

For those who would like more detail, especially on the cultural background
of Romans 13, the following are useful. These essays were written back in the
early 1980's, and have not been revised since. We're counting on the reader
being delayed by those first three pages (above) long enough for us to get the
rest of these pages edited and revised.